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THE   FUNCTION  OF  EDUCATIONAL    INSTITUTIONS 
IN  DEVELOPMENT   OF  RESEARCH 

by 

JOHN  C.    MERRIAM 


<M 


THE   FUNCTION   OF 
EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS  IN 
DEVELOPMENT    OF    RESEARCH 


BY 


JOHN  C.  MERRIAM 


f£m<  /Pfc 


THE  FUNCTION  OF 
EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS  IN 
DEVELOPMENT    OF    RESEARCH 


BY 


JOHN  C.  MERRIAM 


[Reprint  from  The  University  of  California  Chronicle,  Vol.  XXII,  No.  2,  April,  1920] 


o: 


THE  FUNCTION  OF  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS 
IN  DEVELOPMENT  OF  RESEARCH 


John  C.  Merriam 


In  this  day  of  application  of  science  in  every  department 
of  human  interest,  we  naturally  find  investigative  work 
conducted  by  a  great  variety  of  institutions.  The  relating 
of  research  to  this  wide  range  of  activities  is  now  recog- 
nized as  essential.  It  is  also  considered  important  that  in 
all  types  of  constructive  work  there  be  a  certain  similarity 
in  method  of  approach,  but  recent  studies  have  raised 
a  question  concerning  possible  duplication  of  effort,  and 
therefore  of  inefficiency  in  our  organization  of  science  and 
research. 

The  following  note  has  been  written  with  the  aim  to 
define  the  special  functions  characterizing  research  of 
educational  institutions  in  contrast  with  those  of  other 
organized  effort  directed  toward  the  advance  of  knowledge. 
For  the  purposes  of  this  discussion  it  has  been  necessary 
to  consider  a  tentative  classification  of  fundamental  types 
of  research  agencies.  Fuller  recognition  of  the  specific 
objects  in  these  several  fields  of  endeavor,  it  is  believed, 
may  lead  to  larger  efficiency  and  better  scientific  organiza- 
tion of  the  country  as  a  whole. 

Without  assuming  to  present  a  complete  or  exact  classi- 
fication, we  may  divide  our  greater  research  efforts  into  five 
groups:  (1)  research  of  practical  application  in  engineer- 
ing laboratories;  (2)  governmental  bureaus  and  labora- 
tories; (3)  research  foundations;  (4)  museums  and  allied 
institutions;   (5)  educational  institutions.     To  these  five  a 


2165UI 


complete  statemenl  would  add  several  of  Lesser  magnitude, 
among  which  a  very  potent  force  is  found  in  effort  of 
individuals  working  privately,  as  has  been  done  to  the  great 
advantage  of  science  by  many  pioneers  in  investigation. 
In  order  to  make  clear  the  posith E  educational  institu- 
tions with  relation  to  the  other  four  kinds  of  research 
agencies,  it  is  necessary  to  give  an  approximate  definition 
of  each  type. 

(1)  The  expression  of  research  referred  to  as  "practical 
application  in  engineering  laboratories"  includes  use  of 
science  in  development  of  economic  interests  in  the  great 
variety  of  ways  in  which  investigation  contributes  to  the 
good  of  mankind.  The  words  "engineer"  and  "science" 
are  here  used  in  the  widest  sense,  covering  the  appliers 
of  knowledge  secured  by  investigation.  The  operations 
of  this  group  might  be  illustrated  by  the  constructor  of 
railways,  the  builder  of  aeroplanes,  or  the  dentist.  The 
work  of  the  engineer  in  all  of  the  fields  in  which  he  operates 
may  unfortunately  be  carried  on  by  rule  of  thumb  applica- 
tion without  consideration  of  the  special  merits  of  each 
case.  The  true  engineer  we  all  recognize  as  one  who  views 
each  problem  as  a  new  subject  for  special  study.  In  a  large 
measure  his  judgment  must  be  based  upon  previous  experi- 
ence with  similar  studies,  but  his  greatest  success  comes 
through  realization  of  the  fact  that  each  bridge  to  be  built, 
whether  it  be  intended  to  cross  a  river  or  only  to  reach 
from  one  tooth  to  another,  presents  a  special  problem  not 
identical  with  any  previously  considered  case;  and  that 
failure  to  see  the  individual  peculiarities  may  mean  inabil- 
ity to  make  full  use  of  the  principles  which  are  his  instru- 
ments. The  successful  engineer  is  continuously  engaged 
in  the  application  of  research  methods. 

In  a  still  larger  sense  does  the  engineer  concern  himself 
with  research  problems  by  consideration  of  questions  which 
are  not  merely  specific  applications,  but  involve  principles 
which  must  be  better  understood  before  he  is  able  to  pro- 
ceed.   The  dentist  recognizes  that  knowledge  of  microscopic 


structure  of  the  tooth  is  of  fundamental  importance  in  his 
treatment  of  tissues  if  this  work  is  to  have  value  in  a  degree 
of  permanence  measured  in  years  or  tens  of  years.  The 
railroad  builder  realizes  that  not  all  rock  foundations  give 
real  stability  to  a  railway  bed,  and  that  an  understanding 
of  the  material  through  which  he  cuts  may  determine  the 
ultimate  value  of  his  constructive  work.  These  investiga- 
tions in  engineering  inquiry  we  often  designate  as  research 
in  applied  science.  They  differ  from  those  in  so-called  pure 
science  only  in  the  fact  that  the  research  of  the  engineer  is 
specifically  directed,  and  by  nature  of  the  inquiry  is  rather 
narrowly  limited ;  whereas  the  real  solution  of  the  problem 
may  lie  in  a  rather  remote  field.  The  railway  builder  may 
find  the  answer  to  his  engineering  questions  in  special 
phases  of  chemistry  or  petrography  which  were  not  included 
in  the  curriculum  of  his  training  course. 

Even  with  the  limitations  which  are  set  in  investigations 
designed  to  meet  specific  needs  in  restricted  fields  of  applied 
science,  we  must  recognize  that  the  everyday  operations 
of  great  laboratories  conducted  by  far-seeing  corporations 
are  developing  some  of  the  most  significant  advances  in 
fundamental  science  of  today.  The  student  of  pure  science 
must  always  keep  in  close  contact  with  these  special 
researches,  both  to  be  helpful  and  to  receive  from  the 
engineer  the  great  wealth  of  data  which  should  be  incorpo- 
rated into  the  organized  body  of  fundamental  science. 

(2)  Government  institutions,  as  exemplified  by  the  fed- 
eral bureaus  and  laboratories  of  the  United  States,  repre- 
sent a  field  which  is  in  some  respects  intermediate  between 
that  of  engineers  who  apply  and  that  of  the  special  students 
of  pure  science  concerned  only  with  the  principles  of  their 
subject.  The  laboratories  of  government  departments  exist 
for  the  special  purpose  of  contributing  for  the  benefit  of 
the  community.  It  is  necessary  that  they  serve  as  sources 
of  information  for  practical  applications  and  for  interpre- 
tation of  the  principles  of  science  to  the  great  group  of 
enquiring  engineers  throughout  the  country. 


6 


Consideration  of  scientific  problems  relating  to  specific 
community  needs  Leads  ili«'  government  bureau  to  under- 
take Ear-reaching  and  fundamental  investigations  in  the 
broadesl  fields  of  applied  Bcience.  Such  researches,  by 
reason  of  the  wride  range  of  interests  covered,  may  extend 
farther  than  the  studies  of  the  engineer  or  the  corporation. 
As  institutions  which  stand  for  a  continuing  people,  the 
government  bureaus  should  be  able  to  undertake  inquiries 
from  which  results  mighl  first  become  available  to  later  gen- 
erations. It  is  unfortunate  thai  budget  requirements  and 
responsibilities  of  political  parties  tend  to  limit  us  in  hand- 
ling of  projects  which  should  be  continued  for  long  periods 
or  with  large  funds,  for  the  expenditure  of  which  immediate 
returns  may  not  be  visible.  It  is  presumably  true  that  all 
science  has  its  application  in  one  form  or  another,  but 
exceptional  vision  is  required  in  organization  of  govern- 
ment work  to  make  it  clear  that  every  phase  of  each  investi- 
gation undertaken  represents  efficient  application  of  science 
for  real  needs.  By  reason  of  its  practical  limitations  the 
government  organization  may  lose  opportunity  for  con- 
sideration of  certain  critical  problems,  the  settlement  of 
which  would  ultimately  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  state. 

(3)  Research  foundations,  with  ample  resources,  free- 
dom of  choice  in  selection  of  objectives,  and  with  trained 
men  of  vision  directing  their  researches,  have  given  oppor- 
tunity not  otherwise  available  for  exhaustive  investigation 
of  fundamental  problems  and  groups  of  problems  without 
regard  to  the  time  required  in  the  study,  and  without 
reference  to  immediacy  of  pressure  for  application.  These 
institutions  have  in  some  measure  covered  the  fields  for 
basic  investigation  which  the  corporation  engineer  and  the 
government  bureau  could  not  readily  reach.  The  efficiency 
attained  by  these  foundations,  the  vision  with  which  their 
problems  have  been  selected,  and  the  great  contributions 
which  they  have  made  to  science,  to  human  thought,  and 
to  application  of  science  in  everyday  life,  rank  among  the 
greatest  achievements  of  American  science. 


(4)  The  great  museums  of  America  have  been  strong- 
holds of  research  in  the  natural  sciences.  Their  function 
has  generally  involved  the  special  study  of  wide  or  narrow 
geographic  regions  to  which  they  are  related  through  cir- 
cumstances governing  their  origin.  The  museums  have  also 
served  a  most  important  purpose  as  educators  in  natural 
history,  supplementing  in  a  vital  way  the  work  of  the  schools 
and  universities.  Through  interpretation  of  science  to 
the  great  public  the  museums  have  greatly  assisted  in 
the  effort  to  make  knowledge  and  reason  the  basis  of  our 
community  judgment,  and  to  give  research  the  fullest 
opportunity  to  serve  the  people. 

In  organization  of  purely  research  projects  the  museums 
have  contributed  a  large  share  of  the  material  upon  which 
the  advance  of  American  natural  history  has  been  based. 

The  work  of  these  institutions  is  in  general  character- 
ized by  their  peculiarly  close  relation  to  the  public  welfare, 
both  in  effective  educational  work  and  in  the  support  of 
fundamental  investigations  for  the  sake  of  their  human 
interest.  They  fill  a  most  important  place  in  the  scheme 
of  our  research  development. 

(5)  The  educational  institutions  of  America,  as  repre- 
sented by  the  universities  and  colleges,  have  always  had  a 
large  place  in  the  advance  of  knowledge  in  all  its  phases  and 
in  its  application.  Their  range  of  operation  in  constructive 
scholarship  has  been  as  wide  as  the  limits  of  learning  and 
its  use. 

In  schools  of  engineering  and  agriculture,  research  has 
been  largely  on  specific  problems  of  application  not  differ- 
ing from  those  of  the  engineer's  laboratory  or  the  govern- 
ment bureau.  Here,  as  in  the  departments  of  fundamental 
science,  the  researches  have  also  ranged  into  all  phases  of 
description,  organization,  interpretation,  and  analysis  in 
special  phases  of  science  for  which  no  immediate  applica- 
tion is  considered.  These  activities  have  been  financed  in 
some  part  by  the  universities,  and  in  part  from  the  pockets 
of  the  professors.    Considerable  support  has  also  come  from 


8 

business  interests,  from  government  institutions,  and  from 
research  foundations. 

The  university  or  college  includes  ('(instructive  work  as 
a  necessary  part  of  its  regular  programme  for  at  least  four 
reasons,  which  niay  be  stated  as  follows  ■ 

(a)  Investigation  is  an  indispensable  means  of  keeping 
the  faculty  in  a  position  to  present  the  most  fundamental 
and  most  advanced  knowledge  through  its  teaching. 

(&)  Training  in  creative  or  constructive  work  is  one 
of  the  most  important  phases  of  teaching  and  can  be  carried 
out  successfully  only  through  actual  experience  of  the 
student. 

(c)  The  state  will  naturally  depend  upon  the  institution 
of  higher  learning  as  an  exceptionally  organized  group  of 
constructive  experts  prepared  to  consider  urgent  questions 
requiring  investigation. 

(d)  As  a  body  representing  a  wide  range  of  closely 
interlocking  subjects  having  continuous  relation  to  research 
in  one  form  or  another,  the  university  affords  unusual 
opportunity  for  correlation  of  knowledge  on  questions  in 
new  fields  of  thought. 

In  considering  the  first  reason  (a)  we  must  realize  that, 
even  if  the  universities  be  assumed  to  exist  only  for  teach- 
ing, tiny  are  expected  to  present  the  most  advanced 
thought,  and  we  cannot  keep  them  in  a  position  of  leader- 
ship in  understanding  and  in  training  without  a  faculty 
continuously  setting  forth  the  best  in  thought  and  experi- 
ence  in  every  subject.  This  condition  can  be  maintained 
either  by  continuous  research  on  the  part  of  the  faculty 
or  by  continuous  renewing  of  the  membership  of  the  faculty. 
Continuous  replacement  of  individuals  is  impossible,  as 
the  institution  is  a  great  and  complex  instrument  in  which 
the  parts  can  be  kept  in  proper  adjustment  only  through 
long  contact.  It  therefore  becomes  necessary  for  the  faculty 
to  keep  its  position  by  continuous  growth  of  its  members. 
If  this  process  is  merely  imitative,  the  teacher  is  not  an 
authority.     The  only  way  in  which  he  can  be  assured  of 


9 


growth  is  by  working  in  his  specialty.  This  constructive 
operation  involves  intimate  knowledge  of  the  fundamentals 
of  his  subject  and  definition  of  the  limits  and  relationships 
of  his  chosen  field  of  study. 

More  than  this,  the  function  of  teaching  in  an  educa- 
tional institution  does  not  concern  alone  the  retailing  of 
facts  already  assembled :  it  must  include  that  kind  of  under- 
standing of  the  subject  which  will  prepare  the  student  for 
his  task  as  a  leader  in  the  future.  To  become  such  a  leader 
the  student  must  look  beyond  our  present  knowledge  and 
experience  with  the  expectation  of  accomplishing  things 
which  have  never  before  been  done.  No  good  instructor  can 
avoid  recognizing  this  need  of  his  students.  No  teacher 
who  sees  this  requirement  can  fail  to  make  a  serious  effort 
to  determine  the  direction  of  advance  in  constructive  use 
of  his  subject,  if  for  nothing  more  than  to  point  out  to 
students  the  trend  of  the  path  and  the  preparation  neces- 
sary for  those  by  whom  it  will  be  extended  to  new  fields  of 
usefulness.  It  is  hardly  possible  for  the  instructor  to  obtain 
a  clear  view  of  future  development  in  his  subject  without 
intimate  personal  relation  to  the  most  advanced  work  in 
progress. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  student,  training  in 
constructive  work  or  in  development  of  creative  imagina- 
tion, suggested  in  point  (&),  must  be  considered  of  im- 
portance at  least  equal  to  the  securing  of  information  or 
the  disciplining  of  the  mind  to  habits  of  work.  As  in 
no  other  type  of  mental  attitude,  this  involves  the  acquir- 
ing of  a  distinct  love  of  the  work  and  understanding  of 
its  purpose.  It  is  not  conceivable  that  the  university 
will  neglect  this  extraordinarily  important  aspect  of  the 
student's  preparation  for  future  activity  or  that  it  will 
expect  him  to  proceed  without  guidance.  If  this  particu- 
lar phase  of  educational  activity  is  not  to  be  eliminated,  it 
places  upon  the  instructor  the  requirement  that  he  stand 
before  the  student  as  an  unmistakable  representative  of 
creative  work,  and  as  illustrating  in  his  personal  attainment 


10 

the  end  or  purpose  of  his  effort.  Evidence  of  any  other 
attitude  <>n  the  part  of  the  instructor  will  make  useless 
whatever  attempt  he  may  make  to  serve  as  a  leader  or 
adviser  in  the  field  of  constructive  study. 

The  third  contribution  of  value  (c)  furnished  by  re- 
search  related  to  education  concerns  the  immediate  use 
of  the  results  of  this  study  by  the  community.  While 
the  university  is  naturally  assumed  to  be  primarily  an 
educational  institution,  it  has  been  made  clear  that  without 
continuing  research  it  can  neither  provide  adequate  instruc- 
tion nor  maintain  its  leadership  in  the  educational  work 
required.  Constructive  problems  in  all  departments  of 
investigation  must  be  continuously  the  subject  of  successful 
handling,  and  the  results  of  this  work  will  be  products  of 
the  first  importance  to  the  community.  It  is  natural  that 
to  such  an  institution  the  whole  people  will  look  for  the 
appearance  of  new  ideas  of  broadest  significance  and  of 
practical  value.  It  is  to  be  expected  that  the  state  will 
depend  upon  the  university  for  information  and  will  expect 
it  to  furnish  the  necessary  knowledge  and  the  constructive 
ability  required  in  meeting  new  situations  that  make  neces- 
sary the  building  of  new  plans  of  thought  for  community 
use.  The  contributions  made  by  research  in  these  institu- 
tions will  generally  tend  to  concern  fundamental  subjects 
and  to  group  themselves  on  the  more  indefinite  areas  along 
the  borders  of  knowledge,  but  it  is  frequently  these  broader 
principles  which  offer  the  largest  opportunity  for  real 
addition  to  the  sum  of  immediately  useful  information. 

The  fourth  reason  (d)  for  including  research  as  a  part 
of  the  necessary  programme  of  an  institution  of  higher 
learning  involves  one  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics 
of  the  university.  By  reason  of  the  extraordinary  scope 
of  interests  represented  in  such  a  body,  one  might  expect 
the  unusual  opportunity  for  contacts  of  investigators  in 
related  fields  to  produce  new  combinations  of  formulae,  and 
through  these  the  opening  of  new  fields  of  discovery.  No 
other  organization  presents  the  same  wide  range  of  sub- 


11 


jects  represented  by  leaders  of  thought  who  are  normally 
investigators.  To  these  conditions  the  university  adds  an 
unusual  freedom  of  opportunity  for  choice  of  materials  or 
combination  of  materials  to  be  used  in  investigations,  as 
also  the  stimulating  influence  of  a  continuous  stream  of 
students  with  new  inquiries  and  new  ideas.  In  no  other 
type  of  institution  engaged  in  investigation  are  the  chances 
greater  for  contribution  in  fields  representing  either  new 
groupings  of  subjects  or  areas  which  have  thus  far  remained 
untouched  by  the  workers  of  all  organized  departments 
of  knowledge. 

For  all  of  the  reasons  that  have  been  presented  research 
has  now  an  established  place  in  institutions  for  higher 
learning.  The  position  of  constructive  work  in  the  univer- 
sities is  clearly  not  accidental  but  relates  to  the  generic 
characters  of  these  institutions. 

To  the  university  viewed  as  the  highest  training  school, 
investigation  becomes  as  necessary  for  natural  activity 
as  eating  and  assimilating  are  to  continued  effectiveness 
of  the  biological  organism.  The  research  so  necessary  to 
continuance  of  adequate  instruction  we  come  to  recognize 
as  a  normal  part  of  the  life  of  the  institution,  and  we  look 
to  this  kind  of  an  organization  in  the  course  of  its  growth 
to  produce  much  of  value  in  the  forefront  of  discovery  and 
construction. 

The  university  fails  of  its  mission  in  creative  work 
in  many  instances  because,  of  all  the  types  of  institutions, 
it  is  the  most  imperfectly  financed  for  this  phase  of  the 
work  which  it  should  naturally  conduct.  With  the  clear 
requirement  that,  to  keep  its  position  in  the  first  line  of 
advanced  thought,  it  must  consist  of  men  of  the  best  type 
in  the  professions  the  university  is  often  financed  almost 
exclusively  for  teaching  and  administration  without  ref- 
erence to  research,  and  it  is  assumed  that  the  construc- 
tive work  so  necessary  to  development  of  the  faculty  and 
students  will  be  cared  for  in  other  ways.  Beyond  funds 
for  purchase  of  books,  departments  with  large  salary  rolls 


12 


for  instruction  often  show  almost  nothing  for  constructive 
work.  The  ultimate  result  of  this  policy  must  be  failure 
to  attain  the  full  measure  of  efficiency.  Potential  leaders 
in  the  faculty  will  either  find  support  of  their  greatest  con- 
tributions  to  knowledge  outside  the  institution,  or  failing 
in  this  they  will  burn  out  like  a  lamp  producing  feeble  light 
by  burning  a  wick  to  which  no  oil  is  fed. 

The  university,  then,  takes  its  place  with  other  groups 
of  research  agencies  of  the  couniry  as  an  institution  caring 
for  the  initial  training  of  nearly  all  investigators,  and 
particularly  given  to  wide  range  of  investigations  among 
a  great  variety  of  fundamental  subjects.  Its  activities  in 
(•(instructive  work  will  often  run  parallel  with  those  of 
other  kinds  of  organizations,  but  breadth  of  interest,  wide 
range  of  contact,  unusual  freedom  of  relationship,  and 
spontaneity  will  alwaj'S  be  among  its  characteristics. 


216591 


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